Improved apparatus for amalgamating gold and silver



Irains by which l have chosen to lillustrate my UNITED STATES PATENT@Fries HENRY W. ADAMS, OF NEV YORK, N. Y.

'llVlPiiVl-D APPARATUS FOR AMALGAMATlNG GOLD'AND SILVER.

` Specification 'forming part ol Letters Patent No. 45,214, datedNovembet'29, 186,4.A

To all whom 272i may concern: silver in a. liquid state cannotamalgamate lie it known that l, HENRY WaADAMs, of Withany metal unlessthe surface of that the city, county, land State QtNeWAYoi-k, metal atthe point of contact be cleanand have invented new and uset'ullmprovements'- bright. i

in Amalgamating Gold and Silver; and'I do r Third. Mnehot` the gold andsilver exists in hereby declare that the following is a full, the quartzin an extremely comminuted state, clear, and exact description thereof,which will enable others skilled. in the art to make I and use the same,reference being had to the eye, and scarcely discernible by the lnostpowacccmpan yin g drawings, forming part of this l erfulr microscope. YThe molecules of' this metspecilication, in whichl allit'erous liour arevastly'T to light`to repose Figure l is a perspective view of an appalin agitated Water, but are unavoidably floated f away in the'process ot'Washing out thereinvention. Figxlis a view showing a portion l fusequartz from the amalgam and conseoll the apparatus in section andanother porl quently lost. tion in elevation, and Fig. 3 is a Adetailedl Fourth. The utter impossibility of mixing forming an impalpable powderor ilour too inl nitesimally iiue to' be seen by thenaked.

vien7 of one of the drags K of the mill B. liquid quicksilver with anyconsidera-ble bodyT Similar letters of reference indicate like ofpulverized quartz so intimately as to touch parts. t l every. particleof the gold and silver. The The nature ot my invention Yconsists in the,[mechanical difficulties areV very great by rea. construction andarrangement of certain inesonot' their specific gravities, and alsotheir chanical devices forutilizin'g the process of j respectivemobilities. Hence it must be obamalgamating gold and silver by means ofl vions that the enveloping coatings ot' foreign the distilled vapor ofquiclrsilver.v

To'comprehend more fully the novelty and importance of this invention itis necessary to set forth in a concise manner the chiet` obsubstauces,bodies, and the dirty or dull surfacesof the precious particles whenproperly liberated from the quartz bygrinding,l by which conditions'contact With-the-vniercury is .stacles to be overcome inthe process ofamalhindered, and also the running ai'vay with the may be easilyYdemonstrated to all, that 4quick-I gamating gold and silver by the useot' mercury y water ot large quantities of' the linestfdust of in aliquid state, the much greater eflieiencyof ,f the precious metals, andtheldiitculty of mix# 1 thel distilled vapor of this metal to meet and Iing intimately any considerable quantities of overcome these hithertoinsuperable difiiculpulverized quartz with liquid mercury, vso thatties, and the adn'iirable adaption ot' my meevery particle of the goldand silver' shall be chanical arrangement for rendering availabletouched by it, must .of necessity render the this new and useful methodof amalgamation.

Four formidable dilliculties oppose and hinmetals very inn'ierteet andunsatisfactory.

der the extraction of the precious metals from The most experiencedminers universally most kinds oi' quartz or metalliterous rock. p admita very great loss. How much this loss lirst. The admixturc ot' manyforeign subis no one really knows, inasmuch as no one present process otamalgamatin g the precious stances n'iih the gold and silver-such assull can tell how much tine. gold vand silver he,l

p'nur, iron, copper, arsenic, antimony, Vand g' loses by the action ofrunning water in washother simil-ar bodies existing' in the torm of ingit away; but all concede that from onesulphurets or pyrites-#by whichthe precious l tenth to three-fourths of the Whole amount, metals arecoated Vover and etl'ectually pro- Q in one Way and another, is totallylost. ylhe tucted from the vslightest touch ot' the quicki' differencein the loss arises from the difersilver.

. Second. The dull or dirty surfaces of the the rock that hindereffectual amalgamation precious particles n'hen released from the and inthe diiiercnt amounts oftlne metal rock by the process et"pulver-ization, by which carried oii' by the action of Water in theproan interposing iilm or` base matter effectually i cess ofelut-riation. Y prevents their contactand unionwith the l From theconcurrent testimony of practical mercury.v lt. is vveli irnfoivn tomany,'and it miners, and'irom divers experiments and 'comi parisons madewith my. process in connection ence in the amount ot'foreign substancesinl l 'With the old method on the same ores, l do not doubt that thelosses more 'frequently anount to one halt' the original quantityconta'ned in the quartz than any percentage less.

Many eorts have been vmade to overcome these ditliculties by attemptingio prepare the quartz by preliminary processes 'more thoroughly foramalgamation. Supposing that lire would easily'decompose the ,stubblrnsulphurets and pyrites and lay bare the hidden metal for an easy andmagical process ot' amalgamation with mercury, they halve resorted withhigh hopes tovarious methods of calcinatio'n. Although this mode ot'treating refractory and composite ores `may prepare- 'tiem for linerpulverization, and may, inlsome cases, cause them to yield withquiclrsilver a larger percentage of gold and silver, yet

new difliculties are extemporized bythis process Without fully curingthe old ones.

Nearly-all the native sulphurets of theme15- als exist in the rock inthe form of bisuilphureis. Heat easily drives-oil` the first equivalentof sulphur and produces proto-'suliphur ets, (which are very refractoryand insepara-v hie, except at a very hi ghrheat maintained for a longtime,) together with oxides, sul phates,

and other binary compounds, Whose plastic c energy in a nascent statecreates impenetrabletilms and coatings which crystalline on cooling andprotect from amalgamation much of the precious metal. Theprooess oi'desulphurization by heat, as now usually practiced, besides beingdefective in the above respects,.cannot i'ail also tostveep away thetine flour of gold and silver inthe pnlverized roch by the stron g draftor the furnacc,snlphurous llames, and gases through the chimney into theair.

lt is an infallible law, 'well known to chemists, that heat increaseschemical aiiinities, and that those affinities can take place only atinsensible distances from each otherthat is,upon absolute contact.Hence, thorough amalgamation with liquid quicksilver necessarilyrequires that all the particles of gold and silver contained' in themetalliferous quartzushould be eliminated lroin every protectingenvelope and exposed with clean and/ bright surfaces lto theinterblending mercury. Without this perfect contact of every particle,molecule, or separate atom of the pref rions metal with quicksilver noamalgamation can possibly take place, consequently vthe use of mercuryin a liquid state, even though' the quartz be calcined,l can neverexhaust the rock oi' its gold and silver, simply because cannot come incontact with it. Tais just conclusion both the analytical chemist, freshfrom his crucible, 'his process ot' amalgamation, and his elutriation,and the practical miner, searching in vain for anything like the amount,of gold and silver in his amalgam, which he has reason to believe is inhis quartz, will readily acknowledge. Only the coarserparticles, whosespecific gravity is too great to be heldin suspension or carried away byagitated or iunning water, and whose surfaces are without films ot'alloy, dirt, or dullness, are ever amalgamated by this detectiveprocess; but can these ivellknorvn and universally admitted difficultiesbe remedied by the use of the distilled vapor ot' mercury, inl stead ofthe liquid metal l From many p1 actical experiments and demonstrations lcan answer this question with the utmost contidence in the attirmative.

The vapor of quicksilver at a distilling heat, which is 6620Fahrenheit,V is a much more er1 iicient and potential agent. Some oi"its more available properties for amalgamating purposes are:

First. Its aliinity for gold and vsilver is im# mensely intensified:

Secondi lts power to interpenetrate dull, (Titty, or alloyed and' coatedsurfaces is instantaneous and irresistible. This may he easily tested byany one in the following manner: 'l'alre a piece of zinc or other. metalwhose surroll over itfreely Without theleast tendency to amalgama-tewith it. Non/,expose the' same and the eil'ect is like breathing on apolished plate ot' metal on afrosty morning. rElie vapor penetra-testhrough the dirt and Yirhitens the metal beneath it in a moment. y

Third; lt is easily conveyed in continuous streams like steam int-o arotating or oscillating cylinder, in which inetallii'erous andpulverulent quartz is tumbled round and intein mingled instantly withthe Whole mass, con- (lensing in contact with every particle of the coldoreand precious metal in tine devry atoms and eiiecting a perfectamalgamation', eren through their interpenetrated ijlnis and coatings ofevery molecule ofthe precious dust.

Fourth.' lt does thisin such a rotating or oscillating cylinder throughwhich p ulverizeil with yWater, and seizes instantly the finest ilonrofthe gold and silver stirred up in clouds of revolving dust,amalgamates with them and soincreases their specific gravity that as theend of the revolving cylinder and sealed beneath Water, the amalgamsettles to the bottorn, instead of 'floating oil' with the muddy Water.

A Fifth. By supplying such a cylinder continuously with fresh vapor froma still, and with ground quartz, in a powder as nearly impalpable aspossible, through a hopper, the process. otamaigamation becomesvcontinuous andl at least ten times as rapid ast-he old method andthoroughly exhaustive of every particle ot the precious metal.

Both the theory and practice of this novel and useful process arebasedupon scientitic i'ail, when employed with mechanical lidelity, toproduce the most satisfactory results. The importantlquestiou Whichnorvarises is: What is the simplest, cheapest, and best mechaliioal devicefor utilizing this processi Alter re l'ace is so dirty that liquid'quiclrsilver will f `soiled surface to the vapor only ior an instant,A

quartz is passing in a dry state out-*of contact mass is graduallyrdischarged from the lower principles and natural laws which can neverpeated trials 'with various kinds of carefullyconstructedv machines witha view to arrive as nearlgv to perfection as possible, the followingarran gement is believed to combinethe great est simplicity, economy,portability, rapidity ot working, and certaintgv ot' action ot' any,all

things considered, that can he devised.

A represents any suitable tlooring or platt'orni 'for supporting theoperating mechanism. l is intended to represent an arastra, with itssweeps t) and drags li, to which rotation I' por of the Quicksilverwithin the worin, and

eiven bv means ot' a crown'wheel D and a l a M 9 7 pinion, E, or hymeans of bevel-wheels. The pinion E is secured to a horizontal shaft, F,

arising from the center ofthe ara stra, and near its other end in astandard, H. The inner end ot the shatt carries a mitered pinion, I,which engages a initer wheel, I', set upon the l inclined clinder L..this iuclinedeyhnder1s hollow, and it extends from the opening n in itis therefore to he ot any,Y good non con` ducting material. The'iaclietc and worin are to be supported within the cylinder at about its centerby means ot' stays or iur-acirets. (llot shown.) The drags or skids ,lare formed like that shown in Fig. 3, and serre 1 the saine otice, asin'the common arastra used which is iournaled at one end in a hearing thelower part of the alestra through the stniting-hox N in the lower partof a hopper,

il. A sleeve, J, rigidly secured to the arastra in or around the openingn, receives that part olthe cylinder which lies helowthegear-wheel l,and forms ahearing or socket within which that end ot" the cylinderrevolves. The hop per is. sustained upon a suitable standard in it toreceive the upper end of the cylinder, may he constructed in any wayknown to Athe mechanic art, The hottoin ot' the hopper is adapted topermit the rotation oi' the cylin i l i l der whose end is slitted so asto forni leaves 1 d, which are bent so as to tlare outward, as is fclearly shown in lrlig. il. 'llie hopper has a diaphragm, l?, at asuitable height up its sides, which diaphragm is perihrated in itscenter. fr pllng, closes `the perforation when dell'l..

At any convenient place on the iiooring l I locate a furnace, T, whichis supplied with 1 The products oi rlhis retort lis to he used for theva from time to time by means ci' the bulb V and i hopper U in thefollowing manner: The quantity ot' Quicksilver' to be. introduced intothe retort bein g placedv in the hopper U, and the stopcoclgintheconnectingtubeqbeingclosed,

,tact with which it becomes condensed and by gold and silver miners,together with the oiiice of separating from the pulrerized :nassandcollecting theiine particles ot the condensed vapor of Quicksilver.The aras-,tra is supplied with constant supply ot' water through theindnetionpipe y, and it has on its opposite side an eduction-pipc, t, to4set a little lower than the pipe y. The lower disf chargeopening at itsbottoni is closed by means oi the plug h.

.lt is not absolutely necessary that the con` nec'rion ot` the cylinderwith the hopper U be through a shitting-box, N, hutit may he passedthrough anI open joint without impeding the successful operation ot" theparte meiosor foundation, itl. The starting hor. h?, formed ing thecylinder at its npperend within a box, which may receive the escapingcontents ot the hopper (i. The accumulation ot'the, escaping matter willthen rise and t'orm a packing about the joint or" the cylinder, and thusprevent any escape therefrom ot' the mercury.

rilhe operation ot' lthe parte as follows: rilhe retort lV', beinglcharged with epiioasiln ver, and the hopper O being filled withpnlverizi'd inetalliferous roel; and earth 'through the diaphragm lll,and the plug Q inserted in its openings, rotarj.v motion is given to thecyl inder by means of the pulley G, whenthe hent or haring leavesi'ornied apen upper end of the cylinder whose rotation npon its axiswill cause the ore to be oonstantlii turned and tossed over as itdescends within it. The qniclrsilver is to be. simultaneously vaporinedand 4permitted to pass the worm it and ne discharged into the midstofthe whirling mass of pulvcrizcd matter in the cylinder, by coutamalgamates with the precious metals present,

the operator proceeds by opening the stopcock inthe pipep, therebyallowing the charge to pass into the bulb V. The stop-cock p is thenclosed Iand the cool; q opened, when the charge is allowed to pass intothe retort, the stopcock r] heilig then ininiediatel'v closed.

The retort istlius charged while in operation,

without allowing the escape ot' an;v of the vapor therefrom. A worin, R,connected with the retort, is passed into and through the lower part ot'the hopper 0, and thence into the upper part. ofthe cylinder L,terminating The arastra will be set in operation at the sainetiinothrougli the rotation ot the shaft, f F. VThe water therein, beingkept at the lei'el ing as a packing and condenser oi thc vapor ot' the'Quicksilver.

When it is so discharged the drags begin to operate upon it in the wa)vat a considerable distance within the saine. {peculiartotliatwellknownmachine.thclightwith t.

ver? and Wham at the same tim@ the@ mii? par. f is suppld Wim die@winding and ma 'ng .mgs K, mf :my qumeu; washing devise, my whichapparatus the said, 'mm became@ sub EL or their ciivments, rmibstatiallyin the manner and for h@ :pmposes specied..

l5.. The us@ of ruiming of osclamg; @my

'vayer brimming over .and exp'o'ng Eh@ or@ 17. Making; the jim; whichcommi@ the conveyel with @he amsum, and sustaining th@ lo. ...u

HENRY W. ADAMS LNINGSTON,

L. TQPMFF.

